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Yelp announced that it is powering the Microsoft Bing local search engine results. If users search on Bing, relevant Yelp reviews will display on the right side of the screen. Plus, Apple has joined forces with Yelp on its new maps application along with providing more content to Siri. This is a positive move for Yelp and for small business owners who have figured out how to use the service wisely. It is also a wake-up call for Google.

Yelp had an average of approximately 71 million monthly unique visitors in Q1 2012

6.3 million unique visitors used a Yelp mobile app

Every second a consumer looks up or calls a business from a Yelp mobile app (Q42011)

A photo was uploaded every 30 seconds from a Yelp mobile app

Yelpers have written over 27 million local reviews.

Over 40% of all Yelp searches come from their mobile apps. (Q4, 2011)

“Yelp will surface content including, review snippets, photos, business attributes, and more, to Bing users in the U.S. This content will be featured prominently on relevant Bing Local pages, presenting information to help consumers do more with businesses near them.” -- Yelp news release

Yelp is one of the dominant replacements to the colored pages directories of the world and the antiquated idea that people still use those books with yellow paper in them. Except as doorstops or firestarters. Businesses either love Yelp or hate it. Those who despise Yelp are often business owners that feel trampled upon by the customer. Some of those complaints are warranted, but to think that consumer review sites are going to disappear any time soon, or ever, is a mistake.

How I titled this post is related to another post I wrote about Yelp that brought in a rash of owners angry that consumers had written a negative review about their company and that the service was a scam. The service is far from a scam and one that I believe can help a young (or established) company find new customers. However, if your company is not doing a good job, you will get negative reviews -- or in more clear language -- your business will get hammered by consumer reviewers. See below for advice on how to counteract "unjust" negative reviews.

As a marketing tool, many maker companies and small businesses are highly adept at leveraging new media tools, Yelp included. As mobile devices and local search continues to grow, we’ll see more entrepreneurial companies leap ahead of less nimble competitors who think Facebook, Yelp, or Google+ are fads.

Here are some of the things you should do to tap into the power of Yelp:

Claim your listing. Business owners can have a free account that enables them to respond to customer reviews (privately as well as publicly). Details from Yelp are here on the Business Owner's Account page.

Take a deep breath before you respond to a negative review, but you should almost always respond. There are times when it is best not to and Yelp offers pointers on when you shouldn't. That deep breath is true in just about any situation where someone criticizes you, but the internet has a long memory. Many customer service experts recommend viewing the negative feedback as a wakeup call to what you can fix. I'm not saying the customer is always right, far from it, but just proceed slowly as you think about how to respond. You can private message a reviewer once you have an account.

Try to get more reviews. As you receive positive reviews, they will eventually raise your "score" and push a negative review lower. It will still exist, but it won't dominate your profile. It isn't considered appropriate to request positive reviews from customers, but many merchants do it. It is better to encourage and welcome feedback. Yelp gives a lot of advice to business owners. Start here.

Consider advertising on Yelp. This is one of the areas where owners feel it is a bit of extortion. If you advertise on Yelp, you can remove competitors ads from your listing/profile page. I understand the small business owner's perspective here, but it isn't much different than other search engine result pages that show "sponsored ads" from your competitors. It's a tough web world out there.

Yelp is a resource that consumers have grown to trust and use daily. This isn’t just for restaurants, either. People use it to find local businesses of all types and can see at a glance how others review that company. Lisa Barone at Small Business Trends (where I’m a product review editor) did a terrific post on its use and value for the SMB owner last year: Yelp Data Shows The Power of Mobile Marketing.

Share your Yelp story below. I'm eager to hear how it is helping small business, maker companies, small urban manufacturers, and of course, retail types.